One of the things that I got from him was just how totally aware he is of everything that’s going on, every move, every subtle thing. You might watch him play sometimes, and you might get a different impression, sometimes I’ve seen him and I would think oh man, he’s totally out there… that’s not true, he’s so finely tuned, it’s like the finest piece of machinery you could ever imagine.
– Joey Baron on Elvin Jones
This is a jazz exercise I was running with a student, working on a pretty subtle point of playing time, with the goal being more deliberate with how we state it. It’s really an attention exercise. I know how people are when they play something— they’re thinking about the pattern, or about movement, coordination, trying to make it smooth within itself. This is more about placing every note of it in time, with no consideration of the pattern, or of smoothness.
Watch this video of Elvin Jones playing with John Coltrane— we’re concerned with the part that is in time:
Skilled players appear so smooth you could get the impression that smoothness is the point. It’s actually not the point. The point is to state time, and cooperate with the other musicians in stating time, creating a consensus time feel as a balance between everyone’s way of playing it. The surface polish hides that. You could wrongly conclude I just need to look like I’m really grooving, and feel it more, and figure out how to look smooth.
There are other ways to play time, there are players who dance the rhythm in, which is valid, but not what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about stated groove as the primary consideration. Which you’ll need to do when there’s nothing to dance over, when the other players are floating, or have weak time. Then you want to give them a solid (while not unflexible) grid.
The exercise then: put on a slow tempo jazz loop where the group is maintaining basically triplet feel— no one’s playing or suggesting double time— for example:
Play along with it: triplets on the closed hihat, alternating sticking, with a deliberate, staccato touch:
If you’re real comfortable just grooving your way through that, you’re doing it wrong— listen closer. Place all the notes carefully, and make small corrections from note to note when you land something inaccurately, or when something on the loop conflicts to your ear, and when the players on the recording stretch the time a bit. The object is not for it to feel good to you, and not to be in perfect unison with every single nuance of the other players’ timing, it’s to have a negotiation, in which you’re paying attention to every single part of every beat, and your own timing, and the other musicians’ timing.
Then do the same with these triplet patterns, or something similar:
There are similar things in many books. In our lesson we used the Jack Dejohnette/Charlie Perry book. You could also use this page. It’s best to use unfamiliar or irregular patterns, that aren’t too complex. If a pattern is familiar, don’t play it the way you’re used to playing it, play it this way. And, if it’s so difficult that you’re mostly thinking about just making the right notes, we don’t want that, either.
Through all of this you’ll feel like you’re playing stiffly and unevenly. In fact, you are grooving, maybe for the first time ever. With time you become more comfortable in this zone, and will move easier, and will be more confident that what you’re projecting when playing this way is actually good, swinging time.
This isn’t the only way to approach playing time in an ensemble, but it is one way, and in the process you are refining your ear, and refining your technique with regard to expressing time.
I am happy to help you with any of the materials on the site, and with anything else drumming related— contact me for private lessons, online world wide, or in person in Portland, Oregon. All levels of players, and all people, are welcome.
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“This page” link is wrong methinks.
Not sure I understand the exercise. I’ll give it a go tomorrow. Curious.
Oops, yes, I’ll fix that link. The idea with the exercise is a little bit elusive, we’re having to work it out in the lesson. I think people think about a lot of stuff other than stating time, and listening, and I’m trying to force the issue. A lot of people play it ways that seem like they’re playing groove, but aren’t.
By the way, I’m kicking around getting myself to the UK next year, bringing some cymbals, around April– same time as JazzAhead in Bremen– it’d be good to hang out if I can make that happen.
I relish any opportunity to find out that the thing I thought I was OK at, I’m actually incompetent at haha.
Meetup in April sounds capital, assuming there’s jet fuel enough 😁.
See what you make of it– it’s a little bit elusive, but it is a real thing.
I’ll let you know about next year, hopefully it works out!